


Long Live Lily Evans

by AGameForWolves, BurningBlack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Lily Evans Potter, F/M, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Seventh Year, M/M, Marauders' Era, Mostly Fluff, Perhaps Some Smut, Remus is Bi, aka my wife - Freeform, also a lot of angst, also sirius black is pansexual fight me, and also justice for pettigrew, and house pride, and i love them, and like the houses not hating each other, and then, and then it's dangerous for, anyway I really love everyone, but - Freeform, but for now, but they do it anyway bc they can't really stop, except snape, for now, he's still a marauder and there's a reason for that, james and lily are super cute tbh, lily evans is a bamf, my multisexual children, not later, so anyway we know how this will end bc we've all read the books, someone dies at Hogwarts, there are the straights, to like... live and walk around, well everyone, which is non canon but so is literally everything else so idc, which sucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-08 03:10:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13449276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGameForWolves/pseuds/AGameForWolves, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningBlack/pseuds/BurningBlack
Summary: The Death Eaters have officially come to Hogwarts. The death of Florence May marks the official beginning of the First Wizard War, and James Potter is terrified. With his gang, they set out to solve who has done it and swears revenge for her. In the midst of the commotion, love conquers but so does hate. It is not an easy time without friends - so James Potter is blessed that he has a large group of people who care for him. More importantly, he is lucky that Lily Evans is as brilliant a witch as she is.orthe many times Lily Evans saves James Potter's life.





	1. Lily Evans got drunk and yelled at Severus Snape

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello!  
> finally, it is time for me to publish this work. I have been working on it for ages, and because I am terrible at keeping up, I wanted to have a few chapters written so that I can post whilst writing the next ones - makes sense? idk  
> anyway here is some long awaited love  
> also be sure to check out my instagram @burningblackauthor where there will be cool ass extra material for this story!

Even Sirius Black had to admit it: something about Lily Evans had changed over the summer. Not only did her body look much more adult than it had ever had, something about the way she moved and glowed proved that the girl that had left for summer break back in July had been replaced by a now young woman - and it was not just the shiny new Head Girl badge placed on her red and gold scarf. No one mentioned the matching one stuck casually to James’ uniform.  
"I am telling you, Padfoot," James started, slumping down into the seat of the carriage next to Sirius. "Lily Evans will be the fucking death of me." Sirius rolled his eyes, simply commenting: "You're fucking pathetic, Prongs." James shrugged, not even bothering to argue with him. He was absolutely, utterly, pathetically in love with Lily Evans, and he stood no chance. She despised him, she always had. James Potter took out a pack of Embassy Filter Cigarettes and propped one in the corner of his mouth. Lighting it spread a short spark of light in the small carriage, followed by a blow of white smoke that danced in the cool evening air. "Is there any room in thi-" A velvety soft voice started, but as soon as Lily Evans noticed who was in the carriage, her sentence was abruptly cut off. "Oh. Hello Potter, Sirius. Had a nice summer?" It was evident that it was restraining for her to be kind to the boys - mostly James - but since she had second years standing right behind her, she obviously felt like she had to. "Why, Evans, I have had a lovely summer." James put it on thick, the cheekiness. “And you?" She rolled her eyes, but nicely commented that her summer had been just fine. Then, she continued to ask whether there was room for the three second years in the carriage. "Anything for you, Evans," Potter exclaimed with a wink. He took another drag of the cigaret, dragging out the time it actually took to inhale the smoke before blowing it out again. Lily Evans sent him a warning glance. "Would you put that out?" Her voice was stern, unamused, and almost made him think of his mother. Almost. But he did put out the cigarette, because deep down, he did not want to be a bad influence on the younger students. The three second years looked absolutely frightened to be in a carriage with James and Sirius, so the two boys shot each other a glance, and as soon as the door closed and the carriage started to move, the two began a thrilling horror story of the time they went into the forbidden forest and ran into a herd of centaurs. He truly didn't want to be a bad influence, but there had to be limitations for righteousness.

The three second year students left the carriage scared out of their minds, whereas the two marauders left the carriage with smiles resembling the halfmoon that graced the night sky. "James Potter. Why must you torment innocent students?" Remus Lupin had a smile on his lips as he embraced his two friends. "It's fun. Besides, however else can we convince them to never go into the Forbidden Forest?" Remus shook his head, a smile still evident on his lips as the three made their way into the great hall where a familiar face greeted them. Peter Pettigrew had grown quite a bit over the summer, but he was still the shortest of the four. As James finally sat down by the Gryffindor table, looking up at the clear, night sky above him, he felt a familiar warmth spread across his body. Home. Nothing made him feel better than being on Hogwarts grounds. "Potter," a voice hissed. "Hey Potter!" James looked to his left, looking for the source of the sound. He found it to belong to Mary MacDonald, one of the girls in Lily Evan's dorm. "Hey Mary," James said nonchalantly. "Had a good summer?" She nodded, but seemed focused on other things than talking about her summer with him. "Are you guys throwing the back to school party tonight?" Sirius, sitting next to James, chuckled. "MacDonald, do unicorns have horns? Of course we're throwing the party. It’s our last year!" Mary smirked, nodded once and then went back to the conversation she had momentarily left.  
The sorting ceremony came and went with no particular interesting events as neither of the boys knew any of the first years and therefore automatically lost interest. James spent the time memorizing the detail of Lily Evans’ soft face as she gently engaged in the ceremony, cheering a bit louder every time someone was sorted into Gryffindor. Her face had grown slimmer over the summer, her eyebrows groomed and she was wearing the tiniest amount of makeup; she never used to do that before, but now, the freckles across the bridge of her nose were slightly less prominent. He had drawn every detail over and over during the summer, desperate to never forget the beauty that Lily Evans emitted, and the work seemed almost wasted because she had, somehow, become even more beautiful since June.  
“Prongs,” inquired Sirius, yet failing to gain the attention of the quidditch captain. “Prongs.” No response resulting in Sirius placing a light slap to James’ upper arm. He turned around, mouth agape as if he was offended, as he rubbed the place he had just been hit. “What was that for?” Sirius refrained from saying anything and merely raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the dishes of food that had appeared on the table in front of them. Then, his gaze moved to James’ sweatercled elbow that was currently in a dollop of mashed potatoes. James sighed, defeated, and drew his wand. He mumbled an almost inaudible “Scourgify,” making the mashed potato disappear from his grey tight-knitted jumper. It was most definitely not the first time something similar had happened - not that James would admit this, of course - so the Marauders continued their meal as if nothing had happened. “So…” Remus started, taking a bite of a steak so rare, it might as well be alive. “I have heard rumours that Lily will be attending our party tonight.” James almost choked on his pumpkin juice, coughing loudly as he spilled the juice all over his shirt. Brilliant, thought James, trying to regain his ability to breathe while simultaneously trying not to make a scene because Lily Evans was right over there, dammit. His attempt at containing his coughing failed miserably, and while most people ignored it, it certainly gained the attention of a certain witch whose green eyes glistened with a mix of compassion and worry. Sirius slapped him harshly on the back, helping James stop coughing. “James, mate…” He started, but James merely held up his hand as to stop him from talking. James Potter had nothing else planned for the rest of tonight than to get sodding drunk on firewhiskey and then go to bed as fake happy as ever.  
Because James Potter was an idiot, and therefore had terrible karma, and because he never looked where he walked, his plans were slightly altered. Sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in hand, James was trapped between his shitfaced best friend and equally drunk Lily Evans. Out of all the possible scenarios he had imagined for this night, having Lily Evans be as drunk as Sirius Black as well as sitting next to James Potter was not one of them. “I solemnly swear that you're a huge fucking nerd,” Sirius said, laughing hysterically at his own joke, though no one except from the Marauders would ever understand the joke at all. The Common Room was filled to the brim with not only Gryffindors but people from all houses - even Slytherin Dorcas Meadowes had sneaked an invitation. It was mainly because Dorcas actually was a nice person, but even more because she was the only one who would ever talk about muggle watersports with Peter. Now while Lily was sitting next to James, she was not actually engaging with him; currently, she was having a conversation with Marlene McKinnon about the wonders of potion making. Marlene McKinnon was a beautiful girl, James thought, inspecting her dark skin and hazel eyes; they were the same light brown as his own. But it was an objective kind of beautiful, the kind that everyone had to admit. Not the kind of beautiful James saw when he looked at Lily. Sure, everyone who looked her way knew she was pretty, but the little details, like the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed or the way she always seemed to fidget with her wand or hair or anything within reach because she could not sit still for longer than a few seconds. Currently, Lily’s fingers were tracing the hem of her skirt, at times accidentally touching James’ knee - not that he minded, of course. “So, Potter.” James looked up at the witch, surprised that she had addressed him directly. “Evans?” His voice was weary, unsure of where this conversation would lead. “I’m going out for a bit of air. Would you like to join?” James was taken aback by the request but had no hesitation before saying a definite yes. As the two left the common room, James turned around to find the rest of the Marauders looking startled but sending supportive thumbs-ups his way. There was a somewhat comfortable silence as Lily Evans and James Potter made their way through the castle.  
The two were an odd pair. Despite James’ red and gold striped sweater, Lily seemed more vibrant, her dark red hair bouncing in loose curls every time she took a step. They were both in jeans, both having changed from their robes between dinner and the party. As soon as they were outside, James took out his pack of cigarettes and immediately lit one. He had started smoking just before exams two years prior, being particularly stressed about O.W.L.S and had yet to quit the habit of smoking in situations where he was either uncomfortable or stressed. But with Lily, he was neither. He was simply nervous, and needed something to do. Lily did not frown when the air in front of him was engulfed in the swirls of smoke - actually, she seemed mesmerised if anything. “Your father was in the paper the other day,” she said calmly, taking a seat on a stone bench in the courtyard. James merely hummed, taking another drag of the cigarette before offering it to her. A surprised look on her face emerged, but she gratefully took it and let her body relax in the nicotine. “Why do you have such a particular interest in my father, Evans?” His tone was full of interest, a hint of teasing hiding at the curl of his words. She smiled, gave him the cigarette back. “It was not your father I took interest in, Potter, it was what he said.” He looked ethereal, as he sat there with his messy hair, glasses covering his eyes and the smoke dancing in the air around him. Like something out of a movie, Lily thought. He kept quiet on the matter, but Lily had no intention of letting it be. “He defended muggle-borns publicly.” James looked directly at her for the first time that night, finally looking into her green eyes. They were filling up, tears threatening to spill out between her thin eyelashes any second. “I just wanted to show my gratitude.” James nodded, not sure of what to say or what to do. So he passed her the cigarette and the two refrained from saying anything else until curfew forced them back to the Common Room. “I am still angry with you, if you were wondering.” James was painfully aware that Lily Evans had a very passive aggressive, a very calm anger, and so he was not in the slightest surprised. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice clearer than it had been all day. She nodded. “Okay.”  
“That sure was one way to start the year, huh Prongs,” Sirius mumbled tiredly as James and Lily entered the Common Room. James smiled wearily; this year was not going to be easy. He took a seat next to his best friend, watching Lily walk to the other end of the room, sitting down at a table with her roommates.  
James was distracted, and it was not the fault of the additional five shots of Firewhiskey he downed. The source of distraction, to no one’s surprise, was Lily Evans. However, while the usual distractions were mainly her existing, this time she was yelling - a phenomenon almost unknown to anyone who knew Lily. “You…” Her voice was surprisingly calm. “Are the most insensitive, arrogant, callous, pompous little git I have EVER met!” Severus Snape was standing in front of the redhead, his greasy, dark hair falling in his face as his gaze was locked to his feet. A crowd had gathered around the two former friends, waiting to see what would happen. How he had even come into the Gryffindor Common Room was a mystery that James lacked the energy and motivation to solve. Lily was furious; it was evident from the way her stance made her taller and the way she was standing on the front of her feet, leaning towards Snape. Her face was reddening as she kept screaming insults at the Slytherin. “Prancing in here like you’re James Sodding Pott-” She was interrupted. “Hey, hey hey,” James said calmly, putting a friendly hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Take it easy.” Lily looked at him, her trail of words ending as she caught a glimpse of pride in James’ hazel eyes. “I want him out of here,” she demanded, turning around on her feet to go to the dormitories. James took no time sending Snape death stares, having to utter no words in order to get him moving.  
“That was a jolly good show, Evans,” announced James as he found Lily sitting on Remus’ bed. He had already lit a cigarette, and it was hanging calmly between his fingers. Before James could ask any more questions, Sirius came strolling to the quiet dormitory, nonchalantly sitting down on his own bed. “Evans, as much as I enjoy you screaming,” he started, his trademark smirk on his lips. “I am, however, wondering why you came up here to recover after doing so.” She shrugged, muttered that she didn’t want to talk to the girls. Her long, dark red hair fell in her face, shielding the boys from seeing the tears glide down her cheeks. “Are you okay, Evans?” James felt awkward, standing in the middle of the room so he sat down next to Lily. It took a moment of silence before she spoke. “My parents are divorcing. The whole town knows. Including him.” James sighed, having handled plenty of parent related situations regarding Sirius but never divorce. Orion and Walburga Black were as strong as ever. And even in his own homelife, he had been put in a cocoon of safety from a young age, so this was a subject he was not exactly experienced with. “And then he just walks in here, thinking that it would change anything at all.” Sirius, who was normally quick to mutter several swear words about Severus Snape and his behaviour, kept quiet, eyeing James to say something. “I’m so sorry, Lily,” James finally muttered, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. He could have jumped into the lake, head first and be satisfied with living a short, short life. “I can’t possibly imagine what you’re going through. But I am right here, whether you want to yell, cry or get just as damn sloshed again.” She motioned to speak, but he cut her off saying: “Because you do not have go through this alone.”


	2. Lily Evans Woke Up in James' Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily wakes up in James' bed and cries some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! A little bit of a short chapter, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! Can't wait to show you what happens in the future.

When Lily Evans awoke, it was with a headache and a dry, bad-tasting mouth. It was also in James’ bed. She was surprised to find that instead of the sweater and skirt she had been wearing the day before, she was clad in a maroon cotton pyjamas with golden seams. It was soft but at least two sizes too large; she suspected it to be James’, but did not want to imagine who of the marauders it belonged to. As she sat up in the bed, she found that the dorm was suspiciously empty, the beds all made and untouched, but as she got a look around, she found the marauders by the end of her - well, James’ - bed. Sirius lay with his head in James’ lap, Peter was curled up against Remus’ torso and Remus was spooning Sirius. The only one sitting was James, and he was sound asleep, his head resting against the bed. Lily fought the urge to wake them, and merely smiled at the thought before she soundlessly slipped to the cold stone floor and scooted across it. 

“Mornin’,” a hoarse voice sounded before she had gotten to the door. She turned around, smiling groggily at the bundle of boys on the floor. 

“You didn’t have to sleep on the floor, y’know,” Lily whispered just loud enough for James to hear. He shrugged lightly, careful not to wake any of the boys when he slipped out underneath them. 

“I figured you didn’t want to cuddle.” There was a slight laugh in his voice, a sparkle in his eyes that meant nothing but trouble. He placed a hand on Lily’s lower back, gently guiding her to the staircase outside, where they both took place. 

“How are you feeling?” She now noticed that they were wearing matching pyjamas, though his actually fit. Hers hid her hands and most of her feet. It felt very cosy. 

“I have a wicked headache. We’re matching.” Both of the statements were said in the same tone, her voice barely audible from the sleeping and yelling but with a hint of a laugh at the curl of her words. 

“They’re Sirius’. Mum buys us the same clothes. Makes him feel included, she says.” Lily chuckled. 

“I think it’s pure ogreshit, and she only does it to annoy me. But it’s nice to see his face whenever she hands him a bag full of new clothes. He never expects it, but it’s always there.” She could see the fondness in his eyes when he spoke of Sirius. He truly cared for his best friend turned brother, evident by the way his smile softened and his body relaxed whenever Sirius walked in the room. 

“Thank you, James, for last night,” spoke Lily after a few silent moments. A shiver went through the Quidditch Captain’s body as she said his name; normally, she would refer to him as merely  _ Potter _ , like most people. He nodded, refrained from saying anything. Last night had been as enjoyable for him as it had for her; not very at all. Watching someone you care for be so somber was terrible, and James had barely slept at all. 

“It was very kind of you… You make it very hard to be angry with you right now,” she snickered quietly. He chuckled, nudging her slightly with his elbow. 

“Well, I  _ am _ trying my best to keep on good terms with you, us having to work together and such.” The two sat on the staircase, keeping light conversation until the rest of the Gryffindor students awoke. 

“Oh there you are,” Marlene chipped as she exited the girls’ dormitory, spotting Lily. 

“Better come inside before the others notice that you’re gone.” Lily nodded, giving James a final, grateful look before making her way to her bed. 

“ _ Someone slept in Potter’s bed tonight, _ ” James heard Mary squeal before the door closed, and he was left out of the conversation. He had a smile on his face the entire way back to his own dormitory, falling asleep on his bed happier than ever. 

 

The first weekend at Hogwarts was always eventful, students gathering across houses in all sorts of places in order to catch up on the events of the summer; this year, instead of parties and social gatherings, James Potter had  _ meetings _ . It was his and Lily’s job to fully prepare the prefects for the many horrors Hogwarts could offer them. This was when James realised exactly  _ why _ he had been given the shiny badge; he had broken at least seventy percent of Hogwarts rules  _ and _ knew them all - and their loopholes -  by heart. Ergo, he was the perfect choice when it came to stopping people from following in his footsteps. 

“Any questions?” Lily was  _ perfect _ . James had known this since the second he met her, obviously, but in this case it was the way she handled the presentation of the following school year. In the corner of the room sat Severus Snape, sulking silently as he attempted keeping himself unseen. Of course, this had failed, since he had been late to the meeting, met with whispers and death stares. 

“What do we do if Death Eaters arrive at the school?” It was a fifth year Ravenclaw, and there was fear in his voice. James shuttered at the thought, and looked to Lily, who seemed almost frozen at the mere idea of such a thing happening. 

“Well…” Started the Head Boy. “If that is to happen, you are to silently and quickly lead your houses back to your common rooms, hopefully with the guidance of a teacher. No one is to engage under  _ any _ circumstance.” He mentally thanked himself for having actually asked a similar question at the meeting with the staff the day before. 

“Thank you for coming.” And with that, the prefects scurried out of the room, Snape being the first out of the room. Lily and James both stayed behind, Lily mindlessly twirling her wand to clean up the various papers, books and quills lying around on the tables and James sitting on the desk in front of the board, his feet almost touching the ground. “Are you okay?” He felt he had asked her this question more times in the past weekend than in the past six years of knowing her, and suddenly it dawned on him  _ why _ she had not agreed to go out with him. 

“Yeah, yeah… Just, you know… Being muggleborn in the Wizarding World right now isn’t exactly  _ magical _ ,” she chuckled cynically. 

“I should’ve known it wasn’t all going to be served to me on a silver platter. I should’ve known it was too good to be true. I might as well go home now, considering my chances of making it through this year is pretty slim.” James furrowed his brows, bewilderment filling his eyes. He leaned against a desk, forcing Lily to stand still in front of him by gently grabbing her upper arm. 

“Hey. You’re not going anywhere.” He sounded angry - not at her, but at the world, at what she had been saying. 

“You’re Lily  _ sodding _ Evans, one of the smartest witches Hogwarts has ever seen, and I will make god damn sure you won’t leave here before you’re done, and I do not care if I end up six feet under because of it.” He took a deep breath. 

“And I’m not the only one, Lily. I know that  _ all _ the Marauders would do the exact same, and so would almost every other student here. You can’t give up. You can’t let them win.” And it was in that moment James realised that Lily was crying. Silent tears were spilling from her eyes, wetting her cheeks and falling to the stone floor. It was an unsettling sight. When she had been crying the first night, it had been an aggressive cry full of feelings and frustration, but this one seemed detached and just. She was  _ just _ crying. And it hurt him to look at, so he wrapped his arms around her small body, hugging her tightly as she stood there, just crying. Eventually, she lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around him as well, and so the two stood there, silently engulfed in one another.

 

It took James an exact time of twelve minutes and thirty seven seconds to get from the Gryffindor dormitory to the Quidditch field. With the security of the Head Boy badge in the back of his mind, he found himself lying on the damp grass just before sunrise. He was there just in time to see the stars fade into the light purple morning sky, and all the while he watched the clouds light up from the sun’s rays, he smoked and he cried. Not the kind of cry Lily had been in the midst of mere hours earlier, but a leftover cry. He, too, had cried in the prefects’ office, but when he and Lily had gone separate ways, he had realised that he was nowhere near done. There were many things he had to be sad about, but all that occupied his thoughts was Lily. Seeing her give up so easily was something James had never anticipated to happen, and it was something he would have given a lot of money to never experience again. He smoked another cigarette, tiredness overcoming him slowly - he had barely slept since he had gotten back to Hogwarts. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, something appeared on the now light blue september sky. He took a closer look, though he had had no doubt in his mind; the dark mark hung above the Gryffindor tower, spreading in dark grey and green fog with a snake forcing its way out of a skull’s mouth. Terror went through James’ body, and before he even knew of it, he was back inside the castle; more specifically, he was standing in front of Dumbledore’s office, panting as he uttered the password. “Professor! Prof-” James trailed off as he opened the door the the office above the stairs, met by not just one set of eyes but four. Professor McGonagall stood closest to the door, and ushered him in, and behind the desk sat the Headmaster with his old, blue eyes lacking the usual  _ spark _ . But the two other pairs of eyes were some that surprised James, though both pairs he would never doubt. In front of him stood Sirius and Lily. 


	3. The Time Lily And James Took A Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and James take a walk.

“Ah, Mr. Potter. I take it you have seen the decoration hanging on the sky above our school?” Minerva McGonagall’s tone was surprisingly calm as James, still short of breath from running. Lily and Sirius looked worried, but when James tried to speak to them, he was cut off by McGonagall saying:

“Don’t you think we should take this in the hall, Potter?” Without waiting for an answer, she led James out of the office.

“What the bloody hell is going on?” He exclaimed as soon as McGonagall stopped walking.

“You know what the mark means, James…” She was sad, evident from her tone and the regret filling her green eyes. They were different from Lily’s, her eyes. Older, bearing the marks of having seen some terrible things in her lifetime. James could not bear to ask the question on the tip of his tongue: who? It was not just a question of who died but also a question of who killed, and James was not ready to hear the answer. So he did not ask. He behaved very un-James-esque and kept his mouth shut until Sirius and Lily came out of the office, both looking frazzled, their cheeks burning red as if they had been outside in a winter cold.

“James…” Lily’s voice already sounded apologetic, and James could not fathom why. It had nothing to do with him.

“Come with us, Prongs.” James had heard Sirius be as genuine few times before, the last time being when he showed up, dripping wet, on his doorstep, asking for shelter mere months ago. James looked to McGonagall for answers, and she nodded, so he went with them down the stairs.

“Wh-” James stopped in his trails, resting against the cool castle wall.

“Who… Wh- what happened?” He felt that he had too many questions to ask, and so they all came streaming out in one sentence. Sirius and Lily looked at each other, both of them nodding firmly at the other before looking back to James.

“James, it’s… Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Florence May is dead,” Lily said, her voice surprisingly calm. James was at a loss for words.

“We don’t know who did it, but they are suspecting the Slytherin gang. Mulciber, Rosier, Wilkes, Snape… And, well…” Lily trailed off, looking to her feet.

“And Regulus,” Sirius finished. He was angry, James could hear that, but more of a cold, distant anger. Really, he sounded sad more than anything.

“Why were you at the office?” James wondered after a few moments of silence. Lily looked up again, her eyes drier than they had been for days. With her voice just as dry, she quietly said:

“We were looking for you.” The news of Florence May’s passing spread across the school fast, but not many knew of the speculation of the Slytherin gang. Actually, Dumbledore had requested that neither Sirius, Lily nor James would tell anyone. And they did not - not even Peter or Remus. But of course, most seven years knew, or at least suspected, what the gang was up to in their spare time, so rumours started to twitter around the halls like small birds. Before Sirius knew it, at least half of the Gryffindor house suspected his brother for murder.

“Tell me you didn’t do it.” Sirius voice was trembling, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as his hand grabbed his brother’s shoulder in a tight grip. They were alone in the hall, like they were most times they talked. Neither had a particular desire to be seen together.

“What?” Regulus broke free of Sirius’ grip, adjusted his bookbag and continued to stare at him with confusion.

“Tell me you didn’t murder an innocent girl, Regulus.” Sirius was no longer asking, he was begging for the confirmation. He had not slept in days, tossing and turning until the early hours of the day, and when he did, it was with nightmares of his brother in Azkaban that kept him company.

“Of course I didn’t, what do you take me for? She wasn’t even a mudblood.” Sirius flinched at the sound of the word, though it was not said with despise nor hatred, but simply as if that was the correct term.

“Why would I waste my time on someone as trivial as Florence May?” Although Sirius barely trusted his brother, he needed him to be innocent, so he believed him. They nodded at each other, acknowledging each other’s existence - the closest thing either of their stubborn souls would come to say that they missed each other - and went separate ways. Sirius was still broody when he met up with the rest of the marauders that night.

“You alright there, Padfoot?” Sirius shrugged it off with a slight, but unconvincing smile. James knew he wasn’t alright, but he also knew that if he continued digging, Sirius would never start talking. So he let him be. They had bigger issues that night anyway. Sending Sirius a reassuring glance, Remus continued what he had been saying before Sirius arrived:

“As I was saying, Marlene told me that McGonagall told her that students out of bed after the May incident is absolutely prohibited. As in, it can result in expulsion now…” James rolled his eyes.

“Or death.” The tone in Sirius’ voice lacked his usual spark of jest and was uncharacteristically dark for the long-haired seeker. A silence spread between the four friends, and despite the noise of the common room seemingly getting louder by the second, the Marauders were in their own silent bubble. It had finally dawned on the group what had happened. A girl had died. Right next to their charms classroom. James felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and was surprised to see that it was Lily Evans, red hair in a messy bun and with a compassionate look in her eyes.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have to go to a meeting. Dumbledore is calling.” James nodded, mouth opening but saying nothing and then he stood up and followed her out of the room with no further comment.

“If this is about Florence, I don’t see how…” James was interrupted by a pair of lips on his. Lily Evans was kissing him in the middle of the hallway. Nevermind where it was, Lily Evans was kissing him and he wasn’t doing anything. It was a gentle, one-sided kiss in the beginning, soft and careful, but as soon as James came out of his initial state of shock, he responded to it, deepening the kiss. With a finger under her chin, he kept her lips on his for as long as they could possibly withstand the inevitability of having to breathe. Even when they had to breathe, he kept his finger under her chin and looked right into those beautiful green eyes of her. He swore, he had never smiled as he was smiling right at that moment. Because she was smiling too. And she was the one who kissed him.

“What was that for?” he asked, their noses resting against each other. They were engulfed in each other, bodies mere inches apart. Lily had one hand on his chest, another resting over his shoulder.

“Time,” Lily sighed, and despite the smile she had on her lips, she looked thoroughly sad.

“We don’t have enough of it to play hard to get.” James tightened the grip he had on her hips, pulling her closer so that now their bodies were against each other.

“Do you really want this?” he asked, and before she could answer, he added:

“Because I do. But I don’t want it if you don’t.” She knew in that moment that she could truthfully say that she was in love with a mr. James Potter, so she nodded. And then she kissed him again. This time, sloppily and passionate, tongue between his teeth and noses squished together. It was sloppily perfect, nothing less than what either of them wanted. When they pulled apart, both gasping for air, James intertwined their fingers and kept a tight grip on her hand, as if letting go of it would mean letting go of her - and he wasn’t ready for that. He led her towards Dumbledore’s office with a mumbled:

“We don’t want to be late…” but she merely laughed her wonderfully melodic laughter, and pulled his arm to stop him.

“What?” Lily swore she had never seen James Potter look as confused as he did right then and there. “There never was a meeting. I only said that to get you out here alone,” she smirked, placing yet another kiss, this one merely a peck, on his lips. “Blimey, Evans, you’re sneakier than I thought.” James’ surprise was worthless, his face almost permanently in a broad smile. They decided on taking the long way back to the common room, pausing occasionally to make out against walls or to play with each other’s hands behind closed doors.

“Do we just… Go in?” It was James who was the first to ask, as the two stood in front of the Fat Lady. They had stood there, hand in hand, for over five minutes, neither knowing what to do.

“They’ll find out some way or the other, won’t they?” As always, Lily’s logic was impeccable. So without further ado, she said a loud “ _Wattlebird_ ” and the portrait swung open. The two looked at each other, nodding at each other reassuringly. And, to everyone’s surprise, they walked into the Gryffindor Common Room with their hands intertwined.


End file.
